under siege. dangerous floodwaters peak in as you tral a overnight. at least four people are dead, hundreds pulled to safety. we will go there live. man on a mission. former vice president al gore on the highs and lows of his political and personal life, the debates raging in washington and the very future of our planet. this morning he joins us for a very rare live interview. effective or offensive? why this new super bowl ad from volkswagen is raising eyebrows "today," tuesday, january 29th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news,

this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. we'll get to that severe flooding in northeast australia in a couple of minutes. more rescues there over the last 24 hours. al will join us and tell us about a powerful storm system right here at home that could be spawning some tornados in the coming days. also ahead, strong signals from the boy scouts that it will end its nationwide exclusion of gay scouts and leaders. at least one major group is saying that may force it to move its support to other boys' organizations. new questions this morning about the death of country singer mindy mcready's boyfriend as she opens up about what happened the night he died. we'll hear from her. it's an emotional and candid interview. first to that deadly

flooding in australia. sarah james is in brisbane for us this morning. s sarah, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. the floodwaters here in brisbane -- and i'm on the banks of the river, have peaked and are starting to recede, but the crisis here in queensland, australia, is far from over. the juggernaut of the storm, which dumped 2 1/2 feet of water on the region, lashed towns across eastern australia all the way down to sydney. a storm so terrifying and bizarre. churning up monster foam from the ocean that entertained children, but bewildered drivers, and taxed resources to the breaking point. even thunderburg's hospital had to be evacuated. rescue workers pushed patients on carts to waiting helicopters. others plucked from rooftops from a team of civilians,

remnants of cyclone oswald. tiny evac eevacuee. hundreds of men and women and children rushed to safety. this fashionable neighborhood two miles outside the center of brisbane flooded in 2011, a once in a century flood, but two years later, it happened again. andrew brady just moved here. >> also it can't happen again. >> reporter: last flood he volunteered to dig out others. now they're calling to return the favor. >> you add in the desert, this is our flood phone, samsung flood phone. >> reporter: those friends, those volunteers worked so hard and got so dirty in the cleanup that they got nicknamed the mud

army. you can bet the platoons of them will be back in action this year, those volunteers. and they'll be needed. it's going to be a massive cleanup, savannah. >> that, it is, sara james for us. thank you. here's matt. traveling to las vegas to talk about immigration reform, president obama's trip comes after a group of bipartisan senators unveiled their plan for dealing with the roughly 11 million undocumented people living here in the united states. nbc's white house correspondent kristen welker has more on that. >> reporter: president obama will give new details to the policies he first map ped out to years ago and will call on congress to pass an immigration reform bill quickly. president obama, putting the spotlight on immigration reform today. a campaign promise echoed in his inaugural address. >> our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see america

as a land of opportunity. >> reporter: the president turning up the heat on congress, by taking his case to nevada, where latinos make up 27% of the population. luis baraljas will be in the audience, working to gain citizenship. >> we need to feel free in this country. freedom is what this country presumes to be. >> reporter: remarks today will mirror the speech he gave two years ago in el paso, texas, calling for stronger border security and a path to citizenship. >> being a nation of laws goes hand in hand with being a nation of immigrants. >> reporter: white house officials are praising the proposals of a bipartisan grooch s group of senators announced monday. lawmakers saying now is the time to tackle immigration. >> we have been too content for too long to allow individuals to mow our lawn, serve our food, clean our homes and even watch

our children while not affording them any of the benefits that make our country so great. >> reporter: the plan would require undocumented immigrants seeking a green card and eventually citizenship to register with the federal government, pay fines and back taxes, undergo criminal background checks and learn english, but all that contingent on border security being strengthened. >> we also have to ensure that we do nothing that encourages people to come here illegally in the future. >> th we believe this will be the year congress finally gets it done. >> reporter: with the power of hispanic voters growing rapidly, the politics are right. >> the fact that at least in washington both parties can get together to present a framework of something that could finally deal with all the different aspects of immigration is really a big step forward. >> reporter: for years, washington has tried to pass immigration reform and failed and there's no guarantee that

lawmakers would be successful this time around. for one, the president's plan is expected to differ with the senate in some key areas, and there is still a lot of opposition in congress to many of these proposals being discussed. matt? >> kristen welker at the white house, thank you very much. former vice president, al gore is the author of the new book "the future." welcome. >> thank you, matt. >> you'll sit in chairs like this the next few days. is this something you relish or dread? >> i've been looking forward to it. >> yeah? >> yeah. i feel passionately about the message contained in this book. i've always been fascinated about looking at the future, trying to see over the horizon. i've done that with climate. i do that with a bunch of other big challenges we're facing. >> do you miss politics? do you miss the chance to weigh in on some of the other issues being debated in washington right now? you said this recently. i'm a recovering politician and the chances of relapse have been

diminishing long enough to increase my confidence that i will not succumb to that temptation again. you don't miss being in there and driving these debates from washington? >> there are some things i miss about it, yes. and i continue to speak out on issues. but one of the themes of this book, matt, is that our democracy has been hacked. that's a computer term, of course, that implies control of the way our political system works has been taken over. in this case, by big money, corporations designated as persons, anonymous donors. and big money is having a corrupting influence and it is degrading the quality of our democracy. >> as a result, a lot of things that need to get accomplished simply aren't getting accomplished. when president obama, in his second inaugural address, talked about the need to work on climate change, i know you applauded that. >> yeah. >> but you've been critical of the president over the last four

years, saying he did not get things done. here are your words. senators in both parties said privately the passage of the climate plan might have been within reach but that it seemed to them that president obama was not prepared to make the all-out effort that would have been necessary to build a coalition in support of the plan. so, are you saying that when he talked about it, president obama talked the talk, but was unwilling to walk the walk on climate change? >> well, there's a lot of truth to that. but there were a lot of factors to take into account. first of all, though, let me say what he said in his inaugural address last week, i thought, was fantastic. and it was the first issue he talked about. he spent more time on that than anything else. >> but will it get done? >> that's the question. but he has now put his commitment out there. i remember as a little kid in tennessee, the first time i went up the high diving board, the key step was climbing that long ladder going out to the edge of the board. then i had to go off it. i was about 5 years old.

i think that making the kind of commitment he did is comparable. he has put his presidency behind this issue now. in his first term, even though, yes, he fell short, he ended up doing more than any previous president. and the opposition has been very difficult. but look at your first story about the flooding in australia. today is the three-month anniversary of superstorm sandy here. two years ago in my home city, nashville, massive flooding. these storms, it's like a nature hike through the book of revelation on the news every day now. and people are connecting the dots. >> you're joining us in our 8:00 half hour. i want to talk about some of the other headlines you've made of late. you sold current tv, the network you co-founded, to al jazeera for an estimated $5 millio00 mi. your take on that, pretax, $100

million. was that always just an investment for you? >> no, no, no. >> was i naive? i thought it was an ideal -- >> it was. >> so why did it become just an investment at the end? >> we won every major award in television journalism. i'm really proud of it. as an independent network, the only independent news and information network, we found it difficult to compete in this age of conglomerates and i'm pleased that al jazeera has established itself as a respecting news-gathering network. >> you blast other television news programs saying this, virtually every news and political commentary program on television is responsponsored i by oil, coal and gas companies. not just during campaign seasons, but all the time, year in and year out, with messages designed to soothe and reassure the audience that everything is fine, the global environment is not threatened. and the critics jumped. they said here's the guy who

just sold current tv to al jazeera, which gets an undetermined amount of funding from the country of qatar, which gets its money from oil reserves. isn't there a contradiction in that? >> i certainly understand that criticism. i disagree with it, because i think al jazeera obviously has long since established itself as a really distinguished and effective news-gathering organization. by the way, its climate coverage has been far more extensive and of high quality than any network here. >> funding from a country that basis its wealth on fossil fuels and fossil fuels are the enemy you target in climate change -- >> yeah. >> -- isn't there a bit of hi hypocrisy in that? >> i understand the criticism. its climate coverage, as i said a moment ago, has been

outstanding and extensive. >> you're on the board of apple. >> yeah. >> the company is going through some very difficult times. the stock is falling. it's dropped below the market cap of exxonmobil. are you worried as a board member of the future of apple? >> i think it's a fantastic compa company. of all of steve jobs' creations, iphone, the mac, ipad, et cetera, his greatest was apple itself. doing a great job, the executive team and employees there. >> he can carry this team? >> absolutely. the earnings report was, i think, the second largest earnings report in the history of world business. so, no, it's a great company and doing extremely well. >> much more on washington, much more on the book and your life these days. al gore, we'll see you in about 45 minutes. >> look forward to it. >> thank you, sir. and here is savannah. >> matt, thanks. boy scouts of america is on the verge of a fundamental change in its policy toward gay

scouts and leaders. a move that's drawing both krifl cr cr criticism and praise this morning. good morning. >> savannah, good morning. the board votes soon, and scouting insiders predict it will pass. it would be a fundamental change for an organization that, for decades, has fought against allowing gays in, considering such a move to be a violation of the scout oath, requiring scout s to be morally straight. if approved, a new policy would end the national ban on gay scouts and scout leaders and let local troops decide for themselves. in a statement boy scouts say members and parents would be able to choose a local unit which best meets the needs of their families. that's welcomed news to zach walls, an eagle scout from iowa, who told the democratic national convention last summer about being raised by two mothers. >> such a ground swell of local

leaders all over the country who have been calling for an end to the ban because they see how this policy is hurting their local level, as policy alienates young people. >> reporter: anti-gay policy has prompted some big corporations, including u.p.s., to end their financial support for scouting. and some local scout leaders have pushed for a nondiscrimination policy. >> i think it kind of caught a lot of families off guard when the boy scouts of america came out and reaffirmed their ban on gay and lesbian individuals and a lot of us feel strongly that that's not right. >> reporter: james dale sued the boy scouts when he was let go as a scout leader after he publicly said he's gay, a case the scouts won before the u.s. supreme court. he says the new policy, which would still allow some troops to exclude gay members isn't enough. >> boy scouts have to make sure they're teaching america and are in step with american values of equality and not discriminating. >> reporter: more than half the nation's scouting organizations are sponsored by churches. southern baptist convention

calls the potential policy change deeply disappointing. >> we want to be respectful of everyone, but we also want respect for us, respect for those who hold to what might be called a biblical form of morality. >> the boy scouts board meets next week in texas to vote. if the new policy is approved, it would take effect june 1st. savannah? >> pete williams in washington, thank you. let us get a check of the morning's other top stories with natalie morales over at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. new details this morning are showing how a nightclub in santa maria, brazil, became a death trap. keir simmons is there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you can see where rescuers smashed the walls of the nightclub to save lives. but they're now asking, why was this the only exit. vigils held overnight for the more than 230 dead.

>> i don't wish for anybody the same. >> reporter: survivors say the band set off pyrotechnics, igniting a fire in the ceiling. audrey lost two friends, one she was with in the club that night. >> he goes to the bathroom and 30 seconds later, the smoke, the fire starts. and i don't see him again. >> reporter: she fell to the floor, trampled, but escaped. >> i am very happy i'm here. >> reporter: outside the nightclub, panic. desperate rescues and now questions. >> reporter: are you angry? >> a little bit. i don't know how i feel about thi this, about everything. >> reporter: today, she will talk to the police. four people have been arrested, reportedly including the club's

owners. the country's president declaring it must never happen again. and overnight the number of flowers here has doubled. there are pictures of the victims. natalie, the grief that has overwhelmed this community is now turning to anger. >> keir simmons in santa maria, brazil. thanks, keir. three months after superstorm sandy tore through the northeast, congress has passed a bill to provide $50 billion in emergency funds to the victims of the devastation. it racked up billions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses last october. usair force is searching for one of its own this morning after looing contact with an f-16 jet over the adriatic sea. they are working with the italian coast guard in a search and rescue effort for the pilot. courtney reagan has the latest from the new york stock exchange. >> good morning, natalie. the general rally took a bit of

a breather on monday, snapping an eight-day winning streak, dow ending its six-day rally when it comes to today, they will look to data and consumer confidence and earnings from pfizer and lily. in a new york hospital with a case of the chicken pox, barbara walters was hospitalized for a fall last week. after suffering from a lingering fever, they found it to be the childhood disease. her co-host on "the view" says she hopes to go home soon. we wish barbara all the best. tiger woods won the farmers insurance open monday by four shots. woods called the win a nice way to start the year. i'll say. it is 7:19 right now. you're up-to-date. let's turn it over to savannah,

matt and al. >> we want to pass along our very best wishes to barbara walters for a speedy recovery. >> absolutely. mr. roker, you said a storm is on the horizon? >> very volatile situation in our nation's midsection. warm, moist air, cold air behind it, low pressure system combined. we have tornado watches for central oklahoma, including oklahoma city until 12:00 noon today. you can see those storms already firing up. we have a risk of strong storms today, later this afternoon into this evening in much of arkansas, northern louisiana and southern missouri, where we are looking for rainfall amounts anywhere from two to three inches of rain. the backside of this system has a lot of cold air with it. that could bring anywhere from six to nine inches of snow from iowa on into upper michigan. we'll get to your local forecast, but first this message. ? [ all kids ] twooooo! [ moderator ] you sure? i am absolutely positive! [ little boy ] two times is awesome. the thing i can do is wave my head and wave my...

that's amazing. i've never seen anything like that. look i can do -- hold on -- i'm watching this. i'm getting dizzy... [ male announcer ] it's not complicated. doing two things at once is better. and only at&t's network lets you talk and surf on your iphone 5. ♪ >> good morning. temperatures will be about 10 degrees above average. we will make it into the 50's. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. did the boyfriend of country singer mindy mcready take his

own life or was he murdered? she speaks out this morning about the investigation. super bowl ad from volkswagen is raising a few eyebrows. first this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, a change that makes airport pickups fun, if you can believe that. why one of europe's most beloved queens is abdicating the throne. the story after your local news. [ female announcer ] neil lane designs for hollywood's biggest stars. let's have a look.

who is it for? it's for becky. she must be important. [ neil ] oh, she is. now, he designs for the star in your life. becky, will you marry me? yes! neil lane bridal. uniquely beautiful, hand-crafted rings from hollywood's master of vintage glamour. at kay jewelers -- the number one jewelry store in america. [ neil ] every woman should feel like a star. ♪ every kiss begins with kay because four out of five dogs over the age of three develop gum disease, and tartar buildup is a contributing factor. [ dog ] or new dentastix fresh. clinically proven to fight tartar and now with added ingredients to fight dog breath, too. and now with added ingredients she said, "i haven't done my taxes for a few years." call. what's a few? she said, "i think it's eight." she showed up with four file boxes of paperwork. "here, take my stuff and figure it out." i will do that for you.

it's a mental challenge. it's a puzzle. but getting you the maximum refund- that's what i'm here for. bring it on. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. baltimore city police are investigating an officer- involved shooting in west baltimore. it unfolded at edmondson ave and held in st.. the man, of whom may have been armed, got into a car and drove it towards several officers. one officer was forced to fire, striking the suspect. he was taken to hospital, where he is now listed in serious

condition this morning. here is kim dacey and traffic pulse 11. >> really just one problem spot we're talking about, in baltimore county, the glenarm area. watch for possible lane closures there. normal delays developing around the area. 32 around the topside at the beltway is to head from harford to providence road. as you head down the west side of the beltway at the outer loop, big delays. 23 miles per hour north of 40. 95 looks good at 395. that is the latest on traffic pulse lackl. >> we're doing better than yesterday, weather-wise. 39 at the airport, 40 in westminster, 41 degrees in

easton. we should make it into the fifties this afternoon. obviously warmer than yesterday. 30% chance that you will run into one of those light rain showers during the day. slight chance for a shower. gets even warmer tomorrow. we will make it into the 60s on wednesday. but a turner better chance for showers and thunderstorms.

7:30 now on a tuesday morning, january 29th, 2013, with a first look at volkswagen's new super bowl ad for the beetle. in a moment why some people think this is effective and others think it may be a little offensive. we'll ask you your opinion on that one. i'm matt lauer, along with savannah guthrie, al roker and natalie morales. do you drp dread picking up a loved one at the airport? really, who doesn't? the waiting, endless circling. some airports are making changes that will make you want to offer up your services. making the parking lot a more exciting place. >> a more friendly place. that's good. on a much different note,

country singer mindy mccready opens up on the death of her boyfriend. it was first reported as a suicide but officials say murder has not been ruled out. tomorrow here on "today," an exclusive live interview with microsoft founder bill gates. he will open up about where technology is headed, the global reach of his charitable foundation and much more. that is bill gates, live tomorrow morning right here on "today." we'll begin this half hour with that new super bowl ad from volkswagen. >> and the car company has had, of course, big hits during the big game in recent years. this year's "get happy" spot is already getting a lot of attention. >> i hate mondays. >> yeah. they're the worst. >> no worries, man. everything will be all right. yeah, man. don't fret. sticky bun comes soon. yeah. wicked coffee, mr. james.

julia, turn the frown the other way around. >> you're from minnesota, right? >> yes, the land of 10,000 lakes. the gopher state. >> so in conclusion, things are pretty dismal. >> do you know what this room needs? a smile. who wants to come with i? ♪ traveling along there's a song that we're singing come on get happy yeah ♪ >> you are three minutes late. >> don't be no cloud on a sunny day. >> yeah, chill. >> sir? >> that's the power of german engineering. >> and, by the way, from volkswagen's marketing, officer tim mahoney said we obviously did our homework to make sure we weren't offensive, we did some research to make sure we weren't going in a direction we didn't want to go and volkswagen had consulted about 100 jamaicans and hired a speech coach. >> some think the ad is funny

and effective, others think it is a little offensive. another network executive said i don't like it at all. it's like black face with voices. >> barbara lipman. first reaction when you see the ad? >> i was shocked. didn't anyone look at this? this is so racist. there's no link to volkswagen. and maybe jamaicans didn't find it offensive, but it's just saying that black people are happy. >> i take a completely different view of it. i have to be honest with you. i thought if you buy this car, it puts you in a happy place and what's happier than all the memories we have on being on beautiful islands on island time? that's the way i took it. >> some people said it had that jar jar banks from star wars effect, it doesn't make any sense. >> my son graduated from college. he thought it was hilarious, cool runnings, to put that voice

in stern minnesotans. >> the ad agency, i guess, anticipating that there may be controversy, has a couple of other back-up options in case vw pulls the ad. sometimes controversy is good for a company. >> right. >> is this the kind of controversy that you think -- >> this is where social media saved their lives. i would bet that they're going to run the other ad. last time, it was fantastic, ate up the internet, most popular ad ever. this one is clearly a mistake in judgment. they'll have another really funny ad that they're going to tell you this was just a teaser and they love the other one. >> they have german accents. you will enjoy it! >> the teaser was wonderful. it just showed people in a parody of the coke ad running up in the mountains, being happy. it was all the people famous from the internet. >> if you are you're a betting woman, you say that ad will never see the light of day on the super bowl? >> that's what i will bet.

>> i'm officially neutral. >> switzerland! >> switzerland. >> controversy, i think, sometimes can be good. >> barbara, thank you. appreciate it. so what do you think? does the jamaican flavor of this ad go too far? go to today.com and give us your opinion. we'll tell you what our polling has to say. >> all right. let's turn to al and get a check of the weather. >> got some mueslix? again, we're talking about lots of snow. boston, 8 1/2 inches, and cleveland should have 35 inches of snow. only 206789 chicago, less than three inches of snow, given that normally we would have about 20 inches by this time of year. may see a little more snow in the next 36 hours in chicago. but until then, not much >> good morning.

we're starting out with some fog in some neighborhoods. a mixture of sun and clouds. 30% chance for a rain shower >> and that's your latest weather. coming up, we'll have the latest in the investigation into the death of the boyfriend of country star mindy mccready. later on we'll show you a change in that cell phone parking lot, change for the better. we'll have that story and more, coming up right after this. [ male announcer ] when you're at the corner of "i'm a new parent"

and "i have no idea what i'm doing," you need a hand. well, walgreens is innovating to help. by making prescription refills this easy. and we're bringing our pharmacists out front to answer your questions. at walgreens, we'll do more than help you get well. we'll help you stay well and live well. because that's what it really means to be at the corner of happy and healthy. with fancy feast morningst gourmet cat food.ans (announcer) make mornings special, mornings are delicious protein rich entrees with garden veggies and egg. fancy feast mornings. the best ingredient is love. new honey bunches of oats greek yohere we go.ole grain. honey cornflakes and chunks of greek yogurt.

i'm tasting both the yogurt and the honey at the same time. i'm like digging this yogurt thing. i feel healthy. new honey bunches of oats greek. two. three. my credit card rewards are easy to remember with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. [ both ] 2% back on groceries. [ all ] 3% on gas. no hoops to jump through. i earn more cash back on the things i buy the most. [ woman ] it's as easy as... one! -two. -[ all ] three! [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms.

with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today, we're ready for whatever swims our way. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. to volunteer to help those in need. when a twinge of back pain surprises him. morning starts in high spirits, but there's a growing pain in his lower back. as lines grow longer, his pain continues to linger. but after a long day of helping others, he gets some helpful advice. just two aleve have the strength

to keep back pain away all day. today, jason chose aleve. just two pills for all day pain relief. try aleve d for strong, all day long sinus and headache relief. we're back now at 7:40 with new questions in the death of mindy mccready's boyfriend. did he take his life earlier this month or was he murdered? in little rock, arkansas, andrea canning is in little rock, arkansas. >> mindy mccready says she just wants to be able to grieve

properly but says the sheriff is on a witch hunt. the sheriff says he just wants to keep the case open until more forensic testing can be done. >> he didn't just -- he didn't just touch my heart. he touched my soul. he was my soul mate. >> reporter: mindy mccready's life will never be the same after she says her boyfriend, david wilson, took his own life on the front porch of their arkansas lake house. >> i've never gone through anything this painful. nor will i ever again go through anything this painful. >> reporter: the couple fell in love over music. he was a producer and she was once on top of the country charts with songs like "guys do it all the time ♪ ♪ guys do it all the time >> reporter: her early success was followed by a downward spiral of addiction, arrest and jail time. she made headlines again in 2011, after going on the run with her son, xander, in the d

midst of a custody battle. then everything changed the night of january 13th. >> i started screaming, calling 911. i laid down next to him. i just pleaded with him not to die. >> reporter: was he able to say anything? was he able to see you? were his eyes open? >> he was responding. >> with words or with a touch? >> sounds. >> reporter: initially, law enforcement officials only said they had responded to a report of a suicide. the local sheriff now tells nbc news the investigation into the cause of death is ongoing and murder has not been ruled out. mccready is not a suspect. she admits they did argue that night about personal issues. there have been reports out there that david was having an affair. >> david was not having an affair with another woman. that is absolutely, totally untrue. >> reporter: a published report has raised questions about the

shooting, including why the bullet wasn't found until a day later. >> i didn't find it. the dog did. it was in the dog's mouth. i mean, that's a horrific thing to say, but it was in the dog's mouth. >> reporter: for the record, did you kill david? did you shoot david? >> oh, my god! no. oh, my god, no! he was my life. we were each other's life. >> reporter: do you, 100% believe that david killed himself? >> i -- i don't know. >> do you think he could have been murdered? >> i don't know. >> reporter: you have been through so much pain and heartache in your life and, honestly, your life almost plays like a country music song. >> i just keep telling myself that the more suffering that i

go through, the greater character i'll have. >> reporter: once again we want to say mindy mccready is not a suspect in this case. there are no suspects in this case at this time. tests from the arkansas crime lab are due back in a couple of weeks. the sheriff says he will be able to make a determination at that point if this is murder or suicide. matt? >> you'll be following this story for "dateline." by the way, you can catch a special edition of "dateline" 10:00, 9:00 central time here on nbc. up next, we'll switch gears and give you a reason why you'll want to pick someone up at the airport in the near future. that's right after this. the craving for chocolate...] oooh. [ female announcer ] ...is all grown up. oooh. [ female announcer ] jared presents beautiful, natural levian chocolate diamonds and chocolate cultured south sea pearls. levian is the only company on earth to make jewelry with chocolate diamonds. levian -- the leading family in jewelry -- from ancient royalty to today's red carpet. you will only find these styles at jared.

levian chocolate diamonds, they're anything...but vanilla. that's why he went to jared... the galleria of jewelry. thwthe sadness, anxiety,eed... pleasthe loss of interest. the fatigue and aches and pains. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide.

antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not for children under 18. people taking maois, linezolid or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. simple pleasures shouldn't hurt. talk to your doctor about cymbalta. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. getting ready for the game. what game? the big game. today's wednesday. the big game is on sunday.

pre-game! pre-game! [ men ] pre-game! [ male announcer ] every day is game day with totino's party pizzas and pizza rolls. stock up now. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] nothing gets you going quite like the power of quaker. today is going to be epic. quaker up. back now at 7:47 with the netherlands popular queen beatrice, abdicating the throne to pass it on to her son.

michelle kosinski has the story. >> reporter: the last abdication was king edward in the 1930s. in the netherlands, stepping aside for one's child is much more common but it still surprised people for this much-loved monarch. queen beatrice and the royal family have been known and loved as friendly, down to earth, normal. after 33 years on the throne, three days from her 75th birthday, queen bea, as she's called, addressed her country. >> translator: responsibility must now lie in the hands of the new generation. >> reporter: that would be her son, william alexander, once known as a party boy, whose father wasn't invited to his wedding. princess maxima cried at her wedding and has been popular with the rest of the family ever since. in april, he will become the first dutch king in more than a

century. her second son gave up his claim to the throne when he married a woman who once had a relationship with a drug lord. he worked as a banker and businessman in london until a tragic skiing accident, avalanche last year left him in a coma. queen beatrice has been flying to london, sometimes every weekend, to see him, another emotional upheaval after the death of her husband in 2002. both beatrice's mother and grandmother gave up their reign so their daughters could serve. and abdications, voluntary or not, have happened throughout history. to become a catholic in the 1600s, a big scandal. in modern times incorporate edward of england to marry a twice divorced american, one who will not abdicate, it is often said, queen elizabeth, only two years away to becoming the longest reigning monarch in british history. >> whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your

service. >> the reality is that things do change so to say those things will never happen, i would say to them never say never. >> reporter: prince charles now is the longest waiting heir to the british throne and could be waiting a long time more. for queen beatrice, it was just the thing to do at the right time. this abdication has raised questions again about queen elizabeth's future. can someone still be head of state when they're, say, 100 years old? prince charles recently described himself as impatient and says he hopes to live long enough to do all he wants to do. savannah? >> michelle kosinski in london. now here's matt. how about this? free wi-fi, clean restrooms and a comfortable place to wait for a friend. if it sounds like your local coffee shop, think again. we're actually talking about a parking lot. nbc's janet shamlian now at the airport in austin, texas, to explain that. good morning to you, janet. >> reporter: hi, matt. we are in this cell phone lot.

this is really very convenient if you're picking somebody up at the airport. you don't have to keep circling the terminal endlessly or pay for short-term parking. with all the amenities they've put in here, it's no longer just a parking lot. a lot of people coming here aren't even picking anyone up. picking someone up from the airport should probably fall under an act of love simply because it's such a hassle. there's no stopping at baggage claim for more than a minute or two and circling the terminal can be maddening. that's why cell phone lots are such a hit. free and close parking where drivers like shirley fisher wait until she gets the call. her sister has arrived. >> i'll be over at baggage claim. i'm going to drive slow. you jump on, okay? >> reporter: but what started as just a place to wait has what some airports turned into, shall we say, a place to be? >> no brainer.

yes. >> reporter: in austin, you can even have dinner in the cell phone lot. everything from a spinach salad to beef fajitas, all under seven bucks. >> thank you. >> it's fantastic. green chile pork taco and it's very well done. >> reporter: in tampa, it's the dude and his food. and free wi-fi. for multi-taskers like lori foley can work while she waits. >> it takes the pressure off of oh, no, i'm going to be up till midnight doing this. >> reporter: airports doing what they can to make customers happy. they're not stopping at food, restrooms and free wi-fi. there's more to come. down the road you'll be able to go shopping here as well. so this is just a start? >> this is a start. you can pull up, maybe buy some flowers, pick up your love off the curbside of the airport and, boom, you're on your way. >> reporter: what else could they possibly come up with? well there are bigger plans. >> a gas station out there, convenience store, car cleaning facilities. there's all kinds of options

that you can offer out at cell phone lots when you think about it. >> reporter: flight information boards make it easy to track arrivals and delays, which everyone here dreads, except for the food dude. >> i'm from up north. when it snows it's better. it delays the flights and they have to wait here and it makes my life a little better. >> reporter: a florist, mini mart, it all could be here soon. at the end of the day this is not unlike the airlines and their baggage fees. airports trying to squeeze out every dollar they can. dinner in the parking lot. matt, back to you. >> janet shamlian in austin, texas, this morning. thank you very much. i hope they do that for the parking lots where the taxis have to wait as well. those guys sit there hour after hour. coming up next, melissa mccarthy, live after your local news. ...canceled. eddie... shannon... so, what do you do? i'm a blogger. totes weird, that is cray, cuz i'm a blogger, too. there's a saying i love, "those who wish to sing, always..." "always find a song." she was just like, perfect, ya know? go get her.

this christmas, fall in love all over. you won't run into the top 10 appliance brands just anywhere... eddie... only sears carries them all. this is the top 10 advantage. this is sears. ♪ wow. ♪ what? ♪ mmm. it looks delicious! i didn't work out this morning. i should try it? yeah. actually pretty tasty. sausage, egg and cheese. mmm! this is from special k? no way! that changes things. [ female announcer ] new special k flatbread breakfast sandwiches. with multi-grain flatbread, eggs, sausage, and cheese. it's only 240 calories. if you guys can come back tomorrow, it'd be fantastic. [ female announcer ] a breakfast revelation. what will you gain when you lose? to make peanut butter so deliciously creamy. ♪ it can even be a game changer. that's why choosy moms and dads choose jif.

it can even be a game changer. living with moderate to semeans living with pain.is it could also mean living with joint damage. humira, adalimumab, can help treat more than just the pain. for many adults, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve your pain and stop further joint damage.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. here is kim dacey. >> let's talk about glenarm. big delays forming around big area. 23 minutes on the northeast corner. 12 minutes to 895 southbound. another area we normally see delays, white marsh in the northeast corner. 44 miles per hour there.

traffic is just crawling towards the beltway and into the city. 19 miles per hour on the west side outer loop. you can see from our camera, outer loop going away from us slowing from 795 to the edmondson ave. tony, over to you. >> in a little bit of fog this morning, but not the weather trouble we had yesterday. 36 in parkton, 41 and the easton. we should sneak into the fifties this afternoon light sprinkle activity developing out of the mountains. 30% chance you will run into a brief rainshowers during the day. mixture of sunshine and clouds. 60s tomorrow. much better chance of showers and thunderstorms. stronger cold front goes through and it gets cold again for super

bowl weekend. overnight lows in the teens. there could be some light snow showers and flurries on friday and super bowl sunday.

morning, the 29th of january, 2013. we have a lovely crowd out on our plaza this morning. big smiles. it's kind of warm this morning, i would say, here in new york city, compared to inside our studio. but, hey, that's another story. good morning, everyone. >> it's another whining day. >> i know. sorry. >> it's actually very nice out. >> pleasant outside. lovely, lovely, lovely. we have a lovely crowd on the plaza. we are out here, savannah guthrie, alongside matt lauer and al roker. you know who we have right here, about to walk into frame? the always delightful melissa mccarthy. good morning to you. >> hello. how are you? >> we are going to chat with you

in a few moments about your new movie, "identity thief." >> i don't kid around. i throw some punches and things -- things get a little bloody. >> can my kids see this one? because we already talked about a little mishap with the other movie. >> this one is better except for one part. >> you're not 100% sure. >> there's a scene that they can go out for popcorn, right? >> one part. >> we'll catch up with melissa in a few. also more of our rare interview with former vice president al gore. he has written a new book and is here to talk about what he sees as the drivers of global change over the next severalday decades. it's called "the future." we'll talk about his personal future as well. our green room may never be the same. we have the mcgee sextuplets. i can't even imagine.

>> six 2 1/2-year-olds. we want to mention that al and natalie are packing their bags. they will go out on their first february field trips. they'll go out to a new city every friday. we're doing a super bowl theme this week. >> that's right. >> al is headed out to san francisco where the city is decked out in red and goal and natalie is headed out to baltimore where fans sent the team off to new orleans in style on monday. so san francisco and baltimore friday on "today." >> a little wager going, too. >> i know. >> somebody will have to dress up in something goofy come monday morning. >> either a raven or natalie a miner. >> a niner miner. good. before we go any further, let's go inside. natalie is standing by at the new news desk. nat? >> good morning, matt, savannah and al. good morning, everyone. deadly floods are peaking in eastern australia today. four people have lost their lives and thousands have evacuated from the worst

flooding australia has seen in a decade. a fleet of helicopters are plucking people from rooftops over the past several days. historic floods are being blamed on the remnants sief clone oswald. president obama is set to unveil his own version of immigration reform in las vegas today. he plans to go beyond the bipartisan deal discussed in the senate by offering a quicker path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. the boy scouts are considering lifting the ban on gay scouts and scout leaders. the new policy, if adopted, would reverse the national ban and allow individual troops to decide for themselves whether or not to allow gay scouts. some religious groups oppose the change and gay activists say it doesn't go far enough. a rare double-arm transplant for quadriplegic iraq veteran. the first soldier from the iraq war to survive after losing all four limbs. the surgery was done at john hopkins hospital in baltimore last month.

brandon's father says his son is really excited about his new arms. now for a look at what's trending today, a quick roundup of what has you talking online. say it ain't so, michelle williams is shooting down rumors of a destiny's child at the super bowl half time show. most famous alumnist, beyonce, is headlining the show. but williams says she will be touring and can't be there. everyone loves gangnam style. the guy who made this handmade flip book of the music video that goes shot for shot with the video may just love it more than you do. check it out. ♪ gangnam style gangnam style ♪ >> that is unbelievable. the original now, by the way, has more than 1.2 billion hits on youtube. the flip book version has about 1 billion hits to go with it.

a pep talk, where better to get it than from the kid president? >> this is awesome. get out there. i don't know everything. i'm just a kid. but i do know this. >> the self appointed voice of a generation releases a video every week and wants grown-ups to know he tells it like it is. by the way, to let you know, he will be live with us in studio tomorrow. we can't wait to meet him. 8:05 right now. let's go outside to al for a check of the weather. >> out of the mouth of babes. we've got a cutie here. who is this? >> this is frank. >> i like that. where is frank from? >> we're from seattle. >> very nice. frank made the trip all the way out here. what kind of coffee does frank drink? >> black. >> i'm not even going to go there. let's see what's going on as far as your weather is concerned.

pick city, yuma, arizona. news 11, where the news comes first. 63 degrees. we've got big changes, jet stream way up in the north and the east. temperatures anywhere from 10 to 30 degrees above normal. out west, they take a dip. you can see those temperatures 5 to 15 degrees below normal. risk of strong storms today where those two air masses meet. arkansas today, really could be looking at some severe weather, tornadoes, even rain as you make your way up into the upper mississippi river valley. icy conditions, northern new england. snow showers in the southwest. rain moving into the pacific northwest. that's what's going on aro >> good morning. temperatures will be about 10 degrees above average. we will make it into the 50's.

>> and that's your latest weather. >> all right, mr. roker. give you a sense of what's coming up in the next few minutes, melissa mccarthy is up next. she will tell us about her brand new movie role. then a little more with former vice president al gore. later, music mogul tommy mottola on his music-making memoir and what it was like to work with michael jackson and many others, right after these messages.

what do we do when something that's hard to paint, really wants to be painted? we break out new behr ultra with stain-blocker from the home depot... ...the best selling paint and primer in one that now eliminates stains. so it paints over stained surfaces, scuffed surfaces, just about any surface. what do you say we go where no paint has gone before, and end up some place beautiful. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. behr ultra. now with advanced stain blocking, only at the home depot, and only $31.98 a gallon. home of the all-new grilled onion cheddar burger, topped with melty white cheddar and caramelized onions. plus all your tasty favorites for just a dollar each. every day. ♪ daisy is 100% pure with nothing else added. meals are simply better with a dollop of daisy. ♪

♪ do a dollop, do, do a dollop of daisy ♪ he opened up jake's very private world. at first, jake's family thought they saved ziggy, but his connection with jake has been a lifesaver. for a love this strong, his family only feeds him iams. compared to other leading brands, it has 50% more animal protein... ...to help keep ziggy's body as strong as a love that reaches further than anyone's words. iams. keep love strong. and coffee is coffee, a quick bite is a quick bite, and play time is play time, because for 24 hours my heartburn is lights out. prevent acid for 24 hours with prevacid 24 hour. because for 24 hours my heartburn is lights out. we're pregnant! honey! what? we're pregnant! we're pregnant? yeah! you're going to be a mom!

you're going to be a dad! there's a little baby in there? there's a human being growing inside your stomach? yeah! now what? i don't know? what? introducing huggies mommy answers. the best advice in one place. from the brand new moms trust. so i used my citi thankyou card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning, i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot even on a holiday weekend. ♪ things are definitely looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates, you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want. visit citi.com/thankyoucards to apply. when it's freshly colored... but why cant it last? new dove for color treated hair has a dual stripe formulation that nourishes and protects colored hair, because nourished hair can keep color vibrant

for up to 8 weeks. new dove color care. keep the color vibrant, keep the feeling. and i'm really happy that you're in my life, too. it's just like yours, mom! [ jane ] behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open hearts collection at kay jewelers. keep your heart open and love will always find its way in. ♪ every kiss begins with kay back at 8:11. no one can forget melissa mccarthy's scene stealing performance in the hit movie "bridesmaids." the role earned her an oscar nomination. now she's starring in a new movie called "identity thief," busy stealing identities and scenes again. >> now i have a plan. >> melissa mccarthy is here. good morning. >> good morning. >> you're tough in this movie. >> yeah, it's -- we really went a round a couple of times. >> i want to talk about that in a moment. the producers of this film paid you the highest compliment,

because this was a part written for a guy and when they saw you in bridesmaids, they thought, she's manish. >> no, i was kind of really excited about that. >> what drew you to this part? >> well, just getting a call from jason bateman. i already kind of thought, what? are you kidding? we had lunch and he was funny and smart and as delightful as i hoped he would be. >> i'm glad i'm not the only one. did you grow up watching him and loving him? >> yes, i think everybody did. he was the main person when i went to meet him, i got a million calls afterwards, please tell me he's nice. i need him to not be crazy. >> he is nice and not crazy. >> not crazy. >> let's talk about how physical this role is. as much as you love jason bateman, you're kind of beating the crap out of him the whole time? >> yes. i beat the bejeebers out of him.

>> you invented the throat punch. can you explain this? >> i had to figure out a way to get away from him. he's a strong guy. i'm 5'2". it would have to be something dirty or i just punch him in the throat and everybody would laugh and jason said that seems like a terrible idea. then they kept pitching it and they're like, maybe you should just punch him in the throat. and i punched him in the throat 17 times. shooting the movie you're doing it about 75 times. i missed occasionally. >> i heard you guys did a lot of your own stunts. >> yeah. and we're up close, we have dialogue, there's no way to switch it out. oh, wait, what i thought was really funny, it's like now i have to do it. i didn't plan on that right. >> tell me how the last couple of years has been for you. such a whirlwind, nominated for an oscar, won an emmy, you're going to red carpets. you're kind of an "it" girl. >> oh, lord.

i don't know about that. to try to work for so long, i've been doing this for a good 20 years. and you just want to work. you hope to god you get a job. to suddenly be getting to do all these jobs that are, you know, just a dream situation with people that i didn't think i would ever meet, let alone get to work with and be friends with, and directors that just as creative and collaborative and dreamy as can be, it's like i just have to keep pinching myself. ben and i, every once in a while, will go, are we really here? this is happening. we try to check in and not let it pass by. >> so fame has totally changed you? >> yes. i don't -- i'm carried everywhere. i only drink alaskan water. >> you told me not to look you in the eye. one thing that's great about you, you occasionally get a little star struck and i hear you wanted to meet our former vice president. >> yes. >> should we go over and say hello? >> yes. >> i'll take you there. it actually helps us.

>> just hold on to it. >> i don't care. >> i'll hold that. you shake. here's mr.al gore. melissa mccarthy. >> you make me laugh. >> oh, lord. that's crazy to hear. you make me hopeful, which is more important. >> thank you. >> this is a great way to tease it. the former vice president will join us to talk more about the future. >> looking forward to it. >> we'll be back after this. vacation is a precious thing. this year, don't just take time off. put time in. turn spending time with your family into spending time as a family. at the one place where every heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, goose-bumping second counts. it's your vacation. don't just take it. mean it. universal orlando. vacation like you mean it.

oh, steer clear of kristen, she can't control herself around chocolate. she'll devour you. really? i'd be a terrible friend if i didn't warn you. gotta go! yeah, uh, thanks for introducing us. anything for a friend. ooh, strong grip! ow! ♪ so, wanna grab a bite somewhere? here's fine. oh no, oh no, ahhh! here's fine. new honey bunches of oats greek yohere we go.ole grain. honey cornflakes and chunks of greek yogurt. i'm tasting both the yogurt and the honey at the same time. i'm like digging this yogurt thing. i feel healthy. new honey bunches of oats greek. behaves like the surface of your skin. now watch what soap does to it. ♪ soap strips your skin. dove is different. with 1/4 moisturizing cream, dove doesn't strip your skin like soap.

okay, we gotta time this just right. okay. ready... happy valentine's day. [ female announcer ] the charmed memories collection at kay -- the number one jewelry store in america. ready... [ camera flash ] ♪ every kiss begins with kay yeah we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. gives you 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more... [ midwestern/chicago accent ] cheddar! yeah! 50 percent more [yodeling] yodel-ay-ee-oo. 50% more flash. [ southern accent ] 50 percent more taters. that's where tots come from. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who like more cash. 50% more spy stuff. what's in your wallet? this car is too small.

[ male announcer ] make your escape... twice as rewarding. earn double points or double miles on all your hotel stays through march thirty first. sign up now at hiltondouble.com. ♪ [ male announcer ] let's take every drop of courage, every ounce of inspiration, every bit of determination, and go where we've never gone before. ♪ introducing the radically new avalon. toyota. let's go places. 8:18 now from the digital revolution to the crisis of global warming, former vice

president al gore has never shied away from the tough issues. he is sharing his new book "the future: six drivers of global change." welcome. >> good to be here. >> "new york times" says this is unfiltered gore in all his wonky glory and say, quote, in the classroom of life he will always be the kid whose hand is up. >> oh, dear. >> fair? >> oh, dear. oh, i hope not. but i've always been fascinated by the task of trying to look over the horizon and see what's coming at us. and i have indulged that passion extensively in this book. >> you write a lot about climate change and global warming and the way we view our planet. it is an issue that has shaped your life. i want to talk to you about some polling. if you talk to americans, about four in five people in this country believe that climate change is happening, global warming is real and it's going to present a problem. but there's a group inside that

large group, and it's not an insignificant group, and they don't believe that climate change is manmade or exacerbated by humans. does that surprise you? >> well, in a way, no, because there's been a lavishly funded, well-organized effort to convince -- to try to convince people of falsehoods. and it's the same thing -- >> by the way, the people in that group would say the same of the other group. >> yes, i understand. but it's -- what's different is this is a corporate-funded exercise. large carbon polluters have business plans that depend upon them being able to use the earth's atmospheres, an open sewer. science linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer is not believable, same people.

>> the challenge of global warming unfortunately has led to an almost tribal division between those who accept the overwhelming scientific consensus and the evidence of their own senses, and those who are bound and determined to reject it. the ferocity of their opposition is treated as kind of a badge, signifying their membership in the second group and antagonism toward the first. given that dynamic, what are the hopes for real change? >> well, that's sort of a basic trait in human nature, that all of us are vulnerable to. in times past when we have made leaps forward, to solve problems and create a brighter future, we've found ways to overcome that natural tendency to group up and fight one another. partisanship and antagonism in our politics today is near an all-time high. and it does need to be mitigated. i think we need to get corporate

money out of politics. i think we need to diminish the role of special interests, and i think that would help. >> after years of calling people's attention to this issue -- now we've seen superstorm sandy and tornadoes and drought and extreme temperatures, do you feel vindicated? >> well, i wish that i had been wrong. and i wish that the scientists whose message i was carrying had been wrong. it's not about me. it's about us and what we do to safeguard our future. and, by the way, as i point out in this book, climate change is one huge problem, but we have other challenges. the advanced automation that's coming with artificial intelligence and robotics is really who wihollowing out the class. crossing the boundaries between species and forcing us to realize we're in charge of evolution now. i won't list all of the others

but we have the obligation to the future to make intelligent choices in the present that will give our kids a bright future the way previous generations did for us. >> since i have you here -- and i haven't had a chance to talk to you since a lot of changes occurred in your own life. it was 2010 when you and mrs. gore, tipper, decided to separate. that created controversy, i don't know if you were aware of it, or allowed yourself to listen in, but talking about relationships that end after years and years. were you surprised by the attention you received? >> well, it's a very personal, private thing. but we made a mutual agreement after 40 years of marriage. we're doing great, by the way. >> how is the relationship -- how would you describe the relationship today? >> warm. we had the children and grandchildren for christmas. and we have regular family

gatherings. life is good. >> when you heard so many people say they were such a great team, the word team was always used in describing the two of you. was it hard to listen to other people weigh in on your personal life? >> well, i didn't listen to too much of that. but we have a good relationship, and our family is strong and that's what matters. >> let me end on a matter of politics. you were the last sitting vice president to go on and run for president. you lost an election they'll write about for decades. joe biden seems to be kicking the tires for a run in 2016. is he the guy, in your opinion, that can lead the democratic party forward and the nation forward? >> i'm going to resist getting drawn into this. >> come on, try. >> i love joe and there are others who, no doubt, will run. i do genuinely believe that just a week after we inaugurated president obama, it's premature to get into the horse race.

>> have you watched television news? come on. this is what we do. >> i know, but that's also part of something we need to challenge. we went through 2012 with 60% of the country in drought, superstorm sandy, $110 billion of climate disasters and not one journalist anywhere in the u.s. asked any question during the debates about the biggest issue we're facing, the climate crisis. now the horse race stories are easy to write. and it's just a template that we get into. it's totally understandable. but we need to really dig in, in our democracy, the way we used to and grapple with the problems that face us. >> let's end on that note. former vice president al gore, nice to have you. come back more often. >> i would love to. >> we appreciate it very much. we're coming up with tommy

mott mottola after your local news. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >>. good. i am sarah caldwell. here is kim dacey. >> southbound 95 at the northeast corner, as you head towards mountain road, you will see the crash coming into view. this is off to the shoulder. all your travel lanes should be open as well. wilkins and kenwood, another one in catonsville. men over for road and compass rose, possible lane closures -- middle river road encompass

road, possible lane closures. 17 miles per hour north of 70. it will take you a long way to get all the way down to 95. outer loop going away from us starting to back down there. southbound traffic is just crawling to get down to the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> much better start for us today than yesterday. temperatures are in the upper 30's and low 40's. . 48 in the. -- 48 at the airport. 20% or 30% chance for a passing most of you will not seek rain today i. we will make it into the 60s tomorrow. better chance for rain in the

afternoon and evening. >> thank you for joining us. back with another update at 8:56.

fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um... try the mber one! yeah, this is pretty good. [ male announcer ] over a third of a day's fiber. fiber one. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ shimmy, shimmy chocolate. ♪ we, we chocolate cross over. ♪ yeah, we chocolate cross over. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing fiber one 80 calorie chocolate cereal. ♪ chocolate.

it's 8:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 29th day of january, 2013. downright balmy today after the cold snap of a week or so. >> have to ask natalie. she's complaining. >> shivering. >> you have to get outside to warm up these days. thanks to those folks for stopping by. i'm matt lauer, along with natalie morales, savannah

guthrie and al roker. one of the most successful people ever in the music industry. >> tommy mottola. a lot of people know his name. he has worked alongside, discovered and developed some of the biggest stars, jennifer lopez, celine dion, to name a few. it is what he says in his new memoir about his ex-wife, mariah carey, and michael jackson that is getting a lot of attention. we, as parents, all remember the terrible twos. imagine raising six all at once. the mcgee sextuplets are here. >> i think we've reached screech meltdown, they've been up for a while. >> nap time. as we look ahead for today, a risk of very strong storms in arkansas, slight risk of strong storms in the gulf all the way up into illinois. wet weather in the pacific northwest. icy conditions in northern new

england. for tomorrow, that risk moves to the east, into the southeast and midatlantic states. wet weather in the northeast. more cold reinforcing air comes out of the plains tomorrow. snow back in the inner mountain region, rain in the pacific northwest. sunny and mild in texas and into th >> good morning. we're starting out with some fog in some neighborhoods. a mixture of sun and clouds. 30% chance for a rain shower >> and that's your latest weather. today marks three months since superstorm sandy devastated so many communities here in the northeast. and while progress is being made, there is still so much

more to be done. we recently visited the hard-hit town of union beach, new jersey. >> it is so cold out. >> reporter: sometimes something as simple as a pair of mittens can make all the difference. this woman and her family lost their entire home and all of its contents in hurricane sandy. she and thousands of others depend on distribution centers like this one in union beach. >> even if you come here, get a loaf of bread or a hug, it means a lot. >> reporter: we first visited this community before the holidays. >> this was the living room, yes, sir. >> wow! >> reporter: carlos rodriguez's wife and son, jonathan, narrowly escaped the flooding. >> water was coming in the house. >> reporter: how high was it getting? >> to about the stairs. >> reporter: now even with the help of volunteers the road to recovery is still long. >> how long are we looking at, paul? that i could come back in and

sleep in here? >> i'm hoping the middle of march. >> reporter: no money from insurance, nothing from fema either. >> i called and talked to you the other day. >> reporter: most hurricane relief comes from the kindness of strangers. jennifer mayer oversees the recovery effort at the municipal build i building. she says the need for supplies is desperate. >> one piece of sheet rock, send sheet rock. >> reporter: she has been giving what she has to people like steve chandler. in addition to the storm damage his 14-year-old son, shane, is undergoing chemotherapy, yet he tries to stay positive. >> i keep saying we'll have a good barbecue this year, have everybody over for a barbecue. >> reporter: high hopes for a town fighting to survive. >> hope. when you have hope, you have it all. >> reporter: so keeping with that theme, we're announcing a new initiative today. "today" gives hope. in collaboration with our friends at the uniteded way and amazon.com, we set a really simple way for you to donate

essential items that people need. >> if you want to find out more, go to today.com/hope. it was three months ago today that sandy hit. and there is still a lot of need. coming up, we will check in with the legendary music sxuf, tommy mottola. first this is "today" on nbc.

we are back now, 8:37, with legendary music executive tommy mottola. he was the head of sony music for nearly 15 years and worked with the biggest names in the music industry, michael jackson, celine deion, and mariah carey. now he tells his story in his new book "hitmaker." you start writing about some of

these a list stars. if you're honest about a lot of them you're going to get instant reaction. >> right. i thought if i was going to do this, it would be more interesting to talk about things in terms of a bigger umbrella story of what happened to popular music in the golden age, which happened between elvis and the ipod. and then if i could narrate and tell a story in the middle of that instead of a boring biography, i thought maybe that would be fun. >> and in the process of telling and narrating that story, you bring up these a listers and personal experiences and here comes the reaction. you write about mariah carey. you were married to her for five years. >> right. >> she says of you, you were controlling, restrictive, a sve sven svengali type. how do you plead? >> all the thing that is it takes to make a superstar, all the pressures that go along with that, and being thrown in the middle of a routine that is

almost unbearable to withstand for anyone could absolutely feel that -- those pressures would be overwhelming enough to react like that. >> no, i did not hypnotize mariah into selling 200 million albums. no, i did not chain her to the recording stud wroe in the mansion we built after we were married. if it seemed like i was controlling, let me apologize again. was i obsessive? yes. but it was also part of the reason for her success. >> i think anybody that's successful becomes obsessive about what they're trying to succeed at. it's just that simple. >> have you apologized to her in person or when she reads this, is this going to be the first time she's heard those words? >> i would think that would be the first time. >> how do you think she might react to that? >> look, i have nothing but the greatest respect for her in the world. she's one of the most talented singers and songwriters that has ever come along. i feel great about all the things she's achieved as a result of all the work that we did.

>> you also write something that i think was very revealing. you wrote it was absolutely wrong and inappropriate for me to become involved with mariah. and i'm not saying this because there was a generation gap. i should have listened to the piercing voice of my shrink and maintained my distance. >> yeah, yeah. you know, you can never control sometimes what happens in your personal life, as we all know. but you do the best you can. and certainly, you know, the good thing that came out of all of this is that she became one of the most successful superstars in the world and for our company it was incredible achievement. >> michael jackson, you talk about how hugely talented he was, but he was demanding and he surrounded himself with yes people. you were one of the few guys, you say, who even dared come close to saying no to michael jackson. >> well, you know, michael was demanding, but i think he commanded that respect. i looked at him as the most talented artist that i probably ever worked with. and everyone around him gave him

that kind of respect. the problem was, there were too many people who didn't tell him the things that probably would have helped him. >> you think that those yes people were part of his undoing? >> there were so many factors, one can never really figure that out, you know. it started from the early age of his childhood and all the success that he had. which, again, becomes an overwhelming process to any individual. >> do you miss being there on a daily basis as careers are made and then challenged, and made again? >> the thing that i think about is all the great things that happened and how those are now imprinted forever. and i feel good about that. i feel great about the new things that i'm working on and being free and able to do those things as well. >> before i let you go, i've got to get your take on this beyonce flap, okay? everybody was screaming that she may have lip synced the national anthem at the president's inaugural last week. what's your take on this? >> technically in washington whenever you do those events

it's never the best of circumstances. beyonce is one of the greatest singers in the world and my feeling is any time she wants to get up and sing, she can sing as well if not better than everyone, and everyone should leave beyonce alone. >> you think it's much ado about nothing? >> much ado about nothing. >> well, your career was not. tommy mottola, great to have you here. >> thanks, matt. >> good to see you. the book is called "hitmaker." the terrible twos times six. the mcghee sextuplets take over our studio. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪

♪ i'm halfway to your heart ♪ you have to let me know

♪ so i don't make my worst mistake ♪ ♪ turn around and let you go [ female announcer ] when sweet and salty come together, the taste is irresistible. made with sweet, smooth peanut butter and salted, roasted peanuts. sweet and salty nut bars by nature valley. nature at its most delicious. back at 8:44, mcghee sextuplets fir captured the hearts of america with an online photo. and now they're giving us a look into their challenging lives in

the documentary "six little mcghees." >> if we can make it there in four minutes, it's a miracle. it's like they know they're turning 2. >> and they are out of control. >> you got to be kidding me. this is a national disaster, boy. >> peed in the water. >> these kids are all over the place. >> and rozonno, & mia are now with us along with their six kids. good morning, everybody. >> good morning. >> i find myself stressed in 30 seconds. is this how normal life -- little chaotic, right? >> extremely chaotic. right now they're 2 and there's no controlling them. >> this is kind of the terrible twos time six, right, mia? >> they run the house. we're outnumbered and they know it. >> how are you guys adjusting? i know you love having them so little. in a way you don't want them to

grow up, but also it's a lot to handle. >> it is. >> it is. it is a lot to handle. we waited ten years to even get a pregnancy. so, of course, i'm happy. i'm happy i have them. it is a lot of chaos, but we make it work. >> i should ask how everybody is doing. they were born at 27 weeks. >> four days, absolutely. no medical issues, anything. >> give me an idea of the day in the life or a week in the life in terms of how much are you having to buy at the grocery store? what does it take to run this mcghee sextuplet operation? >> and then some. >> lot of prayer, lot of organization. you have to be on it. you have to have a lot of energy. >> how many diapers are you changing per day? >> ooh, goodness. i would say probably anywhere between 45 and 50. >> 50 diapers a day, which is a lot. >> it's a lot.

>> this is the age where you might start potty training. >> oh, my gosh. >> what does that thought do to you? >> just trying to get through the terrible two stage right now. i'm not looking forward to potty training. >> yeah. >> that's not even -- i mean, that's just mind blowing. >> they're sextuplets, of course, but they all have their own individual personalities. >> they do. you see, we have six different personalities. they go their own direction. they do what they want to do. we want them to be individuals. >> you got this reality show. what drew you to wanting to do that? it's exciting and it's fun but now everybody sees what's going on in your lives. do you have any trepidation about that? >> no. we were on the oprah winfrey show and we received like an overwhelming response of letters saying how inspirational we are and encouraging we are. so we thought if we could do a reality show and they can see more of us and we can tell our story at the same time, let's do

it. >> yeah. and one of the big challenges, i know you have, ro, is keeping the spark alive in your marriage. you just did a prom thing? >> yeah, we did. we're high school sweethearts and i know mia always wanted to have -- like go to the prom. and we were young and working. we had our own apartment in high school. we were unable to go to prom. and so i said, you know, why not go to prom? that's not nice. >> yuh-oh. are you okay, sweetie? >> maddie. >> come over here, maddie. you've given us a spice of life. you are handling it well. your kids are adorable. catch "six little mcgys" wednesday night on discovery health. coming up next, a live performance from one of music's hottest acts. emeli sande is come iing up on .

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. soulful singer and songwriter, emeli sande is a huge success in her native briton. breakout album tops the charts and she performed at both the

opening and closing ceremonies of the london olympic games. now she's bringing her talents and her act across the pond for a u.s. tour. it's great to have you here. welcome. >> thank you. >> we last caught up with you in london during the olympics. you did a little performance for us there. what was it like to be surrounded by the pomp and circumstance of those olympic games? >> it was very exciting, you know. it was -- in the village, just all the excitement and the buzz in london. it was such an honor to be involved in such a massive thing for my country so i'm very happy i got to be part of it. >> you have been so well received there. you've been nominated for four awards, the equivalent of our grammy awards. now that you come across to this country, what do you notice is different? what kind of reception do you receive here? >> for me it's like two years ago in the uk. you go to the shows and it's just that real raw excitement at the beginning when people have just found you as an artist. i love that.

it's a brand new challenge for me and i'm really enjoying it. >> when you go back then, do you think it will be a rude awakening, to be back so much in the spotlight? >> you get used to it. you kind of just have to recalibrate when you go home and when you come back here again. >> i was just reading that your video for "next to me" has 25 million hits. >> wow! >> 25 million hits. it's amazing what the internet can do. >> yeah. >> for an artist these days. >> absolutely. it's a massive thing. your music there and you get exposed and sometimes you can't always rely on record companies. i'm happy we have internet as an exposure. >> we're so proud of your accomplishments, not only there, but it's great to have you here as well. what are you going to sing? >> i'm going to sing "next to me." >> ladies and gentlemen, emeli sande.

♪ you won't find him drinking at the tables rolling dice and staying out till three you won't ever find him being unfaithful you will find him you'll find him next to me ♪ ♪ you won't find him trying to chase the devil for money fame for power out of greed you won't ever find him where the rest go you will find him you'll find him next to me ♪ ♪ next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh you will find him you'll find him next to me ♪

♪ when the money's spent and all my friends have vanished and i can't seem to find no help or love for free i know there's no need for me to panic cause i'll find him i'll find him next to me ♪ ♪ when the skies are gray and all the doors are closing and the rising pressure makes it hard to breathe when all i need's a hand to stop the tears from falling i will find him i'll find him next to me ♪ ♪ next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh i will find him i'll find him next to me ♪

♪ when the end has come and buildings fall down fast when we spoilt the land and dried up all the sea when everyone has lost their heads around us you will find him you'll find him next to me ♪ ♪ next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh you will find him you'll find him next to me ♪ ♪ next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh next to me ooh ooh

you will find him you'll find him next to me ♪ >> emeli sande, thank you so much. welcome to the states. great to have you here. we're back on a tuesday morning right after your messages and your local news. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. closing arguments take place and admit misconduct trial of anne arundel county executive john leopold. monday, defense rested their case without calling leopold to the stand. it will be up to judge dennis sweeney to decide if leopold

misused his security detail. back in a minute with a ch

>> weather is going to be nice and quiet today. mixture of sunshine and clouds into the afternoon. 30% chance for a rain shower. high temperatures in the low-to- mid-fifties. >> back with another weather update at 9:25.